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Senior Bowl Preparation

This is how aspiring NFL player JC Tretter '13 is spending his Winter Break:

5:50 a.m. -- wake up

6:15 a.m. -- breakfast

7-7:30 a.m. -- rehab and treatments

7:30-8 a.m. -- stretching

8-9:30 a.m. -- speed and agility drills

9:30-11 a.m. -- position-specific work

lunch

12:30-1 p.m. -- rehab and treatments

1-1:30 -- stretching

1:30-3:30 p.m. -- weightlifting

3:30-4:30 p.m. -- mental conditioning and nutrition training

4:30-5 p.m. -- ice bath

5-6 p.m. – oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber

dinner

He's prepping for the Jan. 26 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., where NFL scouts will be watching.

"The motto down here is that you have eight weeks to set yourself up for the rest of your life. So, I am extremely dedicated to the program. I just want to do everything I can to get better every day," said Tretter, who played left tackle for Big Red Football.

"I try to be the first one in and last one out of the gym every day in order to really make the most of my time down here," he said in an interview this week.

At the IMG Academy's football program in Bradenton, Fla., Tretter is learning how to play offensive guard – his senior bowl position – with the help of former NFL players Tom Nutten and Dave Wohlabaugh.

Nutritionists plan just about every morsel consumed by Tretter, who weighs in at 305 pounds.

"They provide you with vitamins and fish oil in the morning. Then, supplements three times a day. Every meal is picked out for you, depending on your circumstances. IMG Academy is sponsored by Gatorade, so we have all sorts of different Gatorade products."

Tretter will miss the first week of classes this semester, but said professors have been supportive of his Senior Bowl participation.

"The way they see it is that I am going to be representing Cornell – and, especially Cornell Athletics -- on a national stage, which is a great opportunity."

Managing muscle soreness, especially the first week of training, has been a daily factor, Tretter said.

"You have to take care of your body and do the extra things like ice baths and hyperbaric chamber sessions to manage the soreness."

The most unstructured parts of Tretter's days are mealtimes.

"We don't get many breaks throughout the day … we mostly relax during lunch and dinner … it's nice to just sit around and talk to the other guys who are down here. Then, after dinner, we will go back and watch some television for a little bit, then head off to bed."